Telephone-transmitter.



W. HARRISON.

TELEPHONE TRANSMITTER. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24, 1908.

1 1 50,266 Patented Aug. 17 1915.

WALTON HARRISON, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

flofalZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, \VAL'roN HARRISON,

1 a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new loud s ')eaking receivers, or receivers used for long distance transmission.

More specifically stated my invention comprises means for controlling powerful cur-'- rents by causing them to form an are or its equivalent, and by directing sound waves against and into said are, or itsequivalent, so as to impress variations, analogous to sound waves, upon said currents.

My invention further embraces means for amplifying the variations produced upon the are or its equivalent, by subjecting it to magnetic action for the purpose of distorting it, and varying said magnetic action quantitatii'ely in accordance with sound that no departure is made lVhile my invention is intended primarily for the transmission of articulate speech and other vocal sounds and also instrumental music, it may be used. in a variety of other relations.

"Vllllfi I show my invention as applied to only one form of are, it will equivalent as applied the are, T mean to embraceall acritorm and gaseous conductors which may be substituted for the are I show, and also spark gaps used in wireless telephony. Q

Reference is to be made to the'accompanv ing-drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which like letters indicate like parts.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 24, 1908.

Simon speaking 1 In this drawing the figure, partly dia- TELEPHONE-TRAN SMITTER.

Patented Aug. 17, 1915. Serial No. 417,427.

grammatic and partly in elevation, shows a circuitincluding an arc, and means for exposing the are directly to the impact of sound waves in air. The figure also shows a magnet for distorting thearc and means, including the arc and'controllable indirectly by the same sound waves, for varying the strength of the magnet and, consequently, the degree of distortion of the arc; thus amplifying the variations in the current.

Connected with a direct current dynamo 1 is a wire 2, which is joined to two other wires 3, 4. The wire 3 is connected with the primary winding 5 of a transformer 6. From the primary winding a wire 7 leads to a binding post 8, mounted upon a sleeve 9, which supports a carbon 10, of the kind Another carbon 10,

used for flaming arcs. also of the type used for flaming arcs, is mounted in a sleeve 11, which has a binding post 12. To the latter is connected a wire 13, to which are joined two wires 14, 2, the wire last mentioned leading back to the dynamo. The wire 14 is connectedwith an elertromagnet 15, and to the latter the wire 4 is connected. A standard 16 is secured upon a base 17, which rests upon a slab 18, of insulating material. A sleeve 19 is mounted upon the standard 16. and is adjustable relatively thereto by aid of an adjusting screw 20. arm 21, a portion 22 of which is of insulatingmaterial, and supports tl1esleeve8. The carbon 10 is adjustable relatively to the sleeve '10, by aid of a screw 23. The magnet 15 is supported upon the standard by aid of a. sleeve 24, which is adjustable thereupon, and For this purpose a screw 25 is provided. A screw 26, mounted upon the sleeve 11, is used for adjusting the position of the carbon 10. The are is shown at 27, and is deflected bythe magnet. If desired, the magnet may be lowered to the bottom of the standard 16, and thus rendered idle, or thrown out of action by disconnecting either of the wires The sleeve 19 carries an I For wireless telephony a'Righi oscillator or any modern equivalent therefor may be 7 singing arc, a Simon speaking are, a musical are. or anvform of are used in wireless telephony for setting up oscillations may be substituted for the are described. Mounted within a tubular standard 32, and adjustable'by aid of a screw 33, is a stem 34:, having a ring 35 integral therewith, and mounted rigidly within this ring is an acoustical tube 36 of conical form, provided with a flaredportion 37. serving as a mouth- 'piece. The smaller end of the tube has a wall 38. provided centrally with a hole 39-, preferably about 1/30 of an inch, or even less. in diameter. My invention is used as parts are adjusted, the dynamo is started, the arc is struck in any well-known manner and allowed to burn until it becomes steady; and the magnet is adjusted so as to train the are properly. Words now spoken into the mouthpiece 37, and musical and other sounds directed into it, are reproduced by. the receiver 31. They are also reproduced in the open 'air by-the direct acoustical action of the arc itself. When a single prolonged note is sung loudly into the mouthpiece, thearc undergoes a marked change in appearance, becoming much steadier and apparently somewhat brighter,-

and shadows cast by it become decidedly more sharply defined. These effects I have ascertained by actual trial, and are distinct enough to attract the attention of any casual observer. In one instance I used a current of 74; amperes at 110 volts, and connected across the arc terminals (and consequently in parallel with theme.) a short wire circuit including an ordinary standard receiver of 7 5 ohms resistance, in series with an incandescent lamp of 220 ohms resistance.- Words spoken or sung pretty loudly into the mouthpiece were reproduced distinctly and clearly by-the receiver, and so loudly as to be at times painful to the ear. The diaphragm of the receiver was actuated so energetically that it rattled when the butt end'of a lead pencil was rested loosely upon it. When a finger was placed lightly upon the diaphragm, the trembling of the .atter was plainlyfelt; and when the r weakening the magnbtic .field and further sounds made in the mouthpiece were very loud, the trembling'of the whole receiver was apparent from the-sense of touch inseveral thousand, receivers of ordinary construction, and lf'COIlDQQtGd wltha'few loud follows: The

speaking receivers can enable each of them to be distinctly heard over a large hall.

The connections for multiple telephony being'old and well known, and in every day use in Paris and other European cities, do not deem it necessary to describe them.

When vocal or other sounds are made in the mouthpiece 37, the column of air filling"- variations in the atmospheric pressure of the medium surrounding it. The air in the immediate vicinity of the arc and the heated vapors and gases forming the aeriform body of the are are always in a state of intense ioni'c activity, and continuously ioni ze the".

surrounding air, tending among other things to convert the oxygen thereof into ozone. Now, the alternate compresslons and rarefactions of the arc and ofthe air surrouiid i'ng it have the effect of disturbing the ionic activity of both the are and the air in its immediate vicinity, so as to vary within wide limits the total energy expendedat different moments by the arc, and thus to vary its necessary conse uence of Ohms law. This however, is not all that occurs. The are,

especially at. its central portion, has aslight swinging movement toward and from the magnet. Each time the main current (through the carbons) is weakened, owing to an increase in the resistance of the arc, the current shunted through the magnet is correspondingly strengthened, as will be .understood from the known laws of divided instant a sound wave or a-function thereof happens to diminish the resistance of the ohmic resistance. The effect of'the electric. current upon the receiver then follows as a" arc, the steps just mentioned are severally reversed, so that the magnetic field allows the arc to recede. and this results in further strengthening the main current. Hence, the

total effect of the magnetis. to exaggerate all of the initial current variations made by the are under control of the sounds.

One peculiar feature of this transmitter is that while-imaction all of its mechanical parts are stationary. 7

Another singular feature of the apparatus is the fact that the arc, in ionizing the air surrounding it, wastes a large portion of the current energy so as to reduce the effective voltage and amperage of all the currents affecting the transformer, the receiver and the magnet. The continuous ionization of the aeriiorm body enveloping the arc acts as a heavy load upon the main circuit, and this load is controllable quantitatively by the acoustical action of the sound waves passing into the gap between the carbons and playing upon the aeriform body of the are. It is partly upon this account that variations, apparently trivial, in the condition of the arc, pro uce such enormous yet pro portionatc variations in the heavy currents.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent;

1. In a transmitter, the combination of a continuous circuit including an arc, means for impressing said are with characteristics analogous to sound waves for the purpose of controlling said circuit, and mechanism for subjecting said are to rapidly varying degrees of distortion for the purpose of amplitying the effect of said characteristics upon said circuit.

2. In a transmitter, the combination of a circuit including an arc, means for producing in sziid are variations analogous to sound waves for the purpose of controlling said circuit, and mechanism for impressing upon said are varying degrees of distortion so as to amplify said variations.

3. Inp, transmitter, the combination of a circuit including an arc, means controllable by sound vibrations for varying the condition of said arc, and mechanism controllable by said arc and by said sound vibrations for projecting toward said are a magnetic field for the purpose of further varying the condition of said arc.

4. In a telephone transmitter, the combination of a circuit including a gap across which electricity flows, means for subjecting said gap to direct acoustical action for the,

purpose of. varying the flow of said electricity across said gap, and means controllable by variations in the flow oi said electricitv across said gap for the purpose of amplifying said variations.

5. In a telephone transmitter, the combination of a circuit including a gap across which electricity flows, means for subjecting said gap to the direct action of a vibratory medium for the purpose of varying the flow of said electricity across said gap. and means controllable by variations in the flow of said electricity across said gap for subjecting said gap to the action of a varying magnetic field.

6. In a telephone transmitter, the combination ofa circuit including a gap across which electricity flows, means for producing, in the flow of said electricity, variations analogous to sound waves, and a magnetic member connected with said circuit and in parallel with said gap for throwing into said gap a magnetic field of varying intensity.

7. In a transmitter, the combination of a circuit including a gap across which electricity flows, means for producing, in the flow of said electricity, variations analogous to sound waves, and mechanism connected in parallel with said gap and controllable electrically by aid thereof for partially diverting the flow of said electricity around said gap.

8. In a transmitter, the combination of a circuit including an arc and an electro-magnet in parallel with each other, said electro-. magnet being adjacent to said are for the purpose of acting inductively thereupon, and means for producing, in said circuit, current variations analogous to sound waves.

9. In a transmitter, the combination of a circuit including an arc and an electro-magnet in parallel with each other, said electro magnet being adjacent to said are for the purpose of acting inductively thereupon, and means for subjecting said are to direct acoustical action.

10. The combination of a circuit having a plurality of portions in parallel with each other, means for producing, in one of said portions, resistance variations analogous to sound waves, thus producing current variations in another portion, and mechanism controllable by said current variations for directly amplifying said current variations and thus indirectly amplifying the effect of said resistance variations.

11. The combination of a circuit having two portions in parallel with each other, means for amplify-lug currents in one of said portions in order to affect the other portion, and mechanism controllable by said last mentioned portion for amplifying the effect of the other portion indirectly. 12. The combination of a. circuit having two portions in parallel with each other, a telephonic transmitter included in one of said portions, and means controllable by the other of said portions for increasing the amplitude of current variations in the portion of the circuit including said transmitter.

13. The combination of acircuit having two portions in parallel with each other, a transmitter included in one of said portions, and a magnetic member energized by the other of said portions and capable of affecting said transmitter for the purpose of amplifying variations of current controllable thereby.

14. The combination of a divided circuit having two branches, a magnetic member in- I I eluded in one-of said branches,- and an arc name to this specification in the presence of included in. the other of saidbra nches, said. two subscribing witnesses.

- arc being subjected to magnetic influence of said magnetic member, and means for directing sound waves against a hmited portlon of said are.

In testimony whereof I have signed my- Witnesses:

WALTON HARRISON.

WILLIAM M. AVERY, GEO. W. NAYLOR. 

